Palace bares new appointments; Bernardo is new HLURB chief

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has appointed lawyer Antonio Bernardo as commissioner and chief executive officer of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board while another member of the “Hyatt 10” group, Imelda Nicolas, was named chair of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

Nicolas was lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission from 2004 to 2005 and was part of the Hyatt 10, a group of Cabinet officials who resigned simultaneously in 2005 and asked then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to also step down due to cheating and corruption allegations.

Lawyer Lito Mondragon was named president and CEO of Philippine Mining Development Corp. while Virgilio Yuzon was appointed chairman of the government television station NBN-4 for the private sector.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said other new appointees included Emmeline Versoza, acting executive director, Philippine Commission on Women; Luz Cantor, assistant secretary, Department of Budget and Management; Amelita Castillo, assistant secretary, DBM; Jerome de la Rosa, acting director IV, Department of Public Works and Highways; Dr. Nona Legaspi, acting director IV, Veterans Memorial Medical Center; Dr. Franklin Gali, acting director III, VMMC; Zenaida Brigida Hamada-Pawid, commissioner (representing Region I and CAR), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; Dionesia Banua, commissioner, NCIP (representing Island Groups and the rest of Visayas);

Dr. Mario Aguja, member of the Board of Trustees, Government Service and Insurance System (representing associations of government employees); Elmer Punzalan, acting assistant secretary, Department of Health; Robert Anonuevo, acting director general, Commission on Filipino Language; Florencia Dorotan, deputy director general, NAPC; Edgar Galvante, acting executive director, Dangerous Drugs Board; and Primo Rivera, deputy administrator, Office of the Transportation Security, Department of Transportation and Communications.

Also appointed were: Veronica Baluyot-Jimenez, board member, NBN-4; Virgilio Nadal, Jr. and Tito Cruz, board members (government sector), NBN-4; Lutgardo Navarro, deputy administrator, Light Rail Transit Authority; Cesar Villanueva, board of directors, Clark International Airport Corp.; engineer Jose Simeon, board of directors, Clark International Airport Corp.; Rosanna Urdaneta, acting director IV, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority; Nenuca Tangonan, acting director IV, TESDA; Pablito Sandoval, Sr., board member representing sugar planters, Sugar Regulatory Agency; and Virgilio de la Concepcion Galvez, deputy director general, Philippine Information Agency.